Grading machine



April 25, 1933.

J. W. JOHNSTON GRADING MACHINE Filed March 3, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 uummmm April 25, 1933- J. w. JOHNSTON GRADING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 3, 1931 n n KW.

April 25, 1933. J. w. JOHNSTON GRADING MACHINE Filed March 5, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet .szw MM,

I 4.0 which areusedtobuildupheels,orotherblanks than in larger blanks.

Patented Apr. 25, 1933l Y .UNITED STATS PATENT oFFIcE,

JAMES W. JOHNSTON, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE'ASSIGNOR TO IACENE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A CORPORATION 0F 'MAINE Application filed Marchv 3,

This invention relatesto grading machines of the kind which grade pieces of leather such as cut soles, taps, heel lifts and lift segments, counters or other blanks, in accordance with the thickness of the thinnest spot as measured and determined by the detector.

Certain of the features of the invention are applicable to grading machines generally, of the kind illustrated in the patents granted t0 E. P. Nichols and L. A. Oogswell, among which may be mentioned byv way of example, but not by way of limitation, the Nichols Patents Nos. 1,057,358 dated March 25,l 1913; 1,058,626 dated April 8, 1918; 1,130,321 dated March 2, 1915; and the Oogswell Patents Nos. 1,686,487 dated October 2,A 1928; 1,693,638 dated December t, 1928; 1,700,978 dated February 5, 1929; 1,726,610dated September 3, 1929. Other features are applicable more particularly to Igrading machines of the type illustrated in the Nichols Patent No. 1,582,140, dated April 27, 1926, which is designed merely to show the grade of the blanks by a visual indicator, without skiving or evening, marking or sorting them. The present invention will therefore be described for the purpose of 'illustration as embodied in a visual indicator grading machine of the type shown in said Nichols Patent No.

. 1,582,140. It is to be understood, however,

that the invention is not restricted to that particular type of machine, excepting as it is so defined in the claims, but is applicable, at least in part, to grading machines which perform other species of grading such as marking, skiving or sorting.

One of the objects of theinvention is better to adapt the machine to handle very small pieces of stock, such as heel lift segments very much smaller than ordinary soles, taps or whole heel lifts. The thickness of such small blanks from side to side is apt Vto vary more, relatively to the width of the blank,

It is desirable therefore to provide for a tilting or canting movementof the movable detecting roll with relation to the stationary roll which shall have more freedom than isnecessary when operating uponlargeblanks, and which shall at the GRADING MACHINEY 1931. Serial No. 519,747.

same time result in the least possible endwise Vdisplacement of the working surface of the movable roll with relation to the working surface of the stationary roll. These ends are accomplished, and the supporting structure for th-e movable roll is simplified and improved over former constructions, by the novel supporting yoke and the novel arrangement of its pivotal mounting which consti' tute Vpart of this invention.

Another feature of the invention is in the new organization and arrangement of the work table (at the delivery side of the detecting rolls), the roll supporting arms or yoke and the roll, sofas to constitute an independent assembled unit which may be removed from or applied to the machine as a unit, and

Vwhich is so combined andV associated as to Fig. 1 isa plan view of a grading machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailofthe toothed particularly Y l wheel of the indicator device hereinafter described Fig. 4e is a plan view of the lower detecting roll and its supporting yoke;

Figq is a partial section on the plane in'- dicated by line 5 5 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view partly in section, on line 6 6 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 1 and 2 represent the usual pair of feeding and detecting rolls, by which thevpointer 3 of the visible indicator I (Figs. 1 and 2) 'iscontrolled l is the usual gate in advance vof the detecting rolls 1 and 2, and 5 is the usual table on which the pieces of leather are fed forward to the rolls 1 and 2. 6, 6 are the usual relatively adjustableguides for positioning the pieces of leather or other blanks as they are fed forward to the rolls 1 and 2.

At the delivery side of the detecting rolls 1 and 2 is another work supporting table 7, upon which the blanks are delivered by the detecting rolls l and 2. The table 7 is supported by two ledges on the machine frame and Vfaste-ned thereto by screws 7', so that it may be detached and removed lbodily from the machine. Y

The upper roll 1 is journaled in boxes 8 immovably fixed to the frame of the machine; and, as shown in Fig. 1, the shaft 9 of this upper roll 1 carries a worm gear 10, which is loose on the shaftrand is driven by a worin 11 fast on the armature shaft of an electric motor M, fixed in position on the frame of the machine. The'worm gear 10 has a hub formed at its inner enclwvith a socket 12 to receive a tongue 13 provided upon the end of a sleeve 14 which is splined to the shaft 9 by means of a slot 15 and pin 16. The pin and slot connection 16-15, locks thesleevc 14 against rotation on shaft 9 but permits the sleeve 14 to be manually moved axially on shaft 9 so that its tongue 13 can be removed from the socket 12 of worm gear 10 to disconnect the shaft 9 from the motor. Ylfhcn the machine is ruiming,

vthe sleeve 14 locks the Worm gear 10 to the shaft 9 so thatthe upper detecting roll is continuously driven in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2. V Y Y The shaft 19 of the lower detecting roll 2 is journaled at its opposite ends in bearings provided at the ends of the branch arms 17 of a yoke having a single stem or trunk 18, which is formed at its extremity with a trunnion 1S rotatably mounted within a bearing block or box 20. The axis of trunnion 18, if extended, lies tangent to the top side of roll 2, that is, the side toward roll 1 substantially at the nip of the two rolls. The block or box 2O is pivotally supported between two tapered and pointed screws 21, 21 (Fig. 4) so that the yoke and its roll 2 may swing toward and from roll 1 on an axis parallel to roll 2 and at right angles to, and intersecting, the longitudinal axis of trunnion 1S. rlhus the movable detecting roll 2 may be moved bodily toward and from the stationary detecting roll 1 on the transverse axis', and may also be cant-ed or inclined or rocked on the longitudinal axis out of parallelism with roll 1 to accommodate'pieces'of stock which are of unequal thickness from side to side. Since the longitudinal axis of the yoke is tangent to the top or working side of the roll 2, said canting movement results in the least possible endwise displacement of the working surface of roll 2 with relation to roll 1. The bearing screws 21, 21, are adjustably supported by a pair of arms 22,22, extending rearwardly from table 7. An adjustable stop screw 23 in the table limits the upward movement of the yoke and roll 2.

lt is also'a feature of this construction that the assembly of the pivot members of the yoke on the two aXes lies below the plane of the top of table 7, and the yoke itself is bowed or offset downwardly between its pivot support and the roll 2, and extends underneath the table 7, thus leaving the table top unobstructed for the passage of the blanks over it'. lt will also be observed that the work table 7, the movable roll 2 and its supporting yoke are so connected that they may be removed from or applied to the machine as a single assembled unit, thus facilitating assembly, dismounting, adjustment or repair of the parts.

To the bottom sides ofv the extremities of the arms 17 of the yoke are fastened the opposit-e ends of a cross-bar 23 whose under side is engaged by a pair of fairly stiff springs 24 which are supported at their lower ends by a pair of arms 25 forming part of a lever 26, pivotally supported by a cross rod 27, journaled at its opposite end. in bearings provided on the frame'of the machine.

The lever 26 is made with a rearwardly eX- tending arm carrying an adjustable hook28, which is engaged with the upper end of a stili' .spring 29, lwhose opposite lower end is fastened to the frame of the machine. It will thus be clearthatthe springs 24 and 29 serve yieldingly to hold the roll 2 against a blank passing betweenV the rolls and to support the yoke and to hold the same against stop. screw 23 -when there is no stock passing between the detecting rolls.

The present machine also provides novel mechanism for transmitting the up and down detecting or measuring movements from roll Y 2 to the pointer of the visual indicating device.

The pointer 3 and a single toothed wheel 30 are both lixed to a spindle 31, rotatably supported by the frame of the machine.` `A coiled able nuts. A cord, wire or any similar flexible connector may be used instead of chain. The lever 34 isfulcrumed at 36 on the Vframe of the machine and connected by a link 137 to an 'arm 38 fast on a rock shaft 39', journaled at its ends in bearings provided on the frame of the machine.y Y

The rock shaft 39 also has fast on it a pair ofl arms 40 (Figs. 2 and 5) carrying pins 41 at their outer ends, which occupy slots 42 .provided atl the lower ends of a pair of connecting rods or links 43. At their upper ends the links 43 are pivotally connected to a bracket 44 fixed to the bottom side of the cross bar 23. Y

The two arms 40 have fastened to them a shelf-bracket 45 on which rests the lower end of a coiled spring 46 whose upper end bears against the bracket 44. This spring 46 serves to hold each pin 41 normally but yieldingly at the bottom of its slot 42, with arm 34 at the limit of its upward movement when there is no stock between the detecting` rolls. As pointed out above, the springs 29 and 24 yieldingly support the lower detecting roll 2 so that it can adjust itself to a transversely uneven piece of stock, and it will be clear that the pin and slot connections 41, 42, will cause that one of the two links 43 which occupies the higher position when an uneven pieceof stock is passing between the detecting rolls, to determine the limit of the depression or downward movement of the arm 38 and lever 34. Therefore, the extent of angular adjustment of pulley 32, spindle 31 and toothed wheel 30,

effected by the downward pullpon the chain or iieXible connector 33will accord with the measurement as determined by thedetecting rolls, of the thinnest spot of the piece of stock. Consequently, the pointer 3, in cooperation with l its usual scale 47, which ispreferably marked or graduated in irons, will indicate the thickness in irons7 of the thinnest spot of that piece of stock as determined by the detecting rolls.

The periphery of the toothed wheel 30 is formed with two sets of ratchet teeth, 48 and 49, which are circumferentially alined and which facein opposite directions, each set extending around approximately one half of the periphery of said wheel. The ratchet teeth 48 cooperate with a detent 50, pivoted at 51 on the frame of the machine and carrying a pin or stud 52 occupying a slot 53 provided at one end of a connecting rod 54. The opposite end of the connecting rod 54 is pivoted to an arm 55, fast on a rock shaft 56, journaled at its opposite ends in bearings on the frame of the machine. Near its middle the rock shaft 56 has adjustably fixed thereon a depending trip arm 57 whose lower .end occupies a, position close to the bight of the detecting rolls, upon the delivery side of the latter, where it is in the path of the blanks as they emerge fromV between the detecting rolls. The detent 50 and connecting rod 54 are connected by a spring 62 which is under tension and which yieldingly holds stud 52 at the left hand end of slot 53.

The ratchet teeth 49 cooperate with a detent 58, pivotally mounted on the frame of the machine and connected. by a llink 59 with an arm 60, which is fixed to and moves with the .gate 4. Vhen a piece of leather or other'blank is shoved under the gate 4 and the latter is lifted thereby, the detent 58 whichis normally held against the toothed wheel 30 by the weight of the gate and by a springV 61, is moved out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 30 and is held in inoperative positionuntil the blank has passed from beneath gate 4, whereupon the spring 61 and the fall of the gate to the table 5 returns theV detent 58 into engagement with wheel30.

Normally, when no blank is :in the machine, the pointer 3 stands at zeroand the detents are in the positions shown' in Fig. 2, detent 58 being-in engagement withits set of ratchet teeth on wheel 30 and detent 50 being disengaged from its set of ratchet teeth on wheel 30. When a blank is pushed under gate 4, the gate is lifted and detent 58 is disengaged from the ratchet wheel. i

The pointer 3 is now free to swing to the right, and as soon as the blank enters between the detecting rolls, the movable roll 2 is'pressed downward, thereby pulling the ieXible connector33 downward and turning Ythe pointer 3 to the right. Immediately after the advance end of-the blank emerges from the nip of the detecting rolls it engages the trip 57 and swings it to the right,

thereby shifting link 54 to the left and permitting detent 50 to engage the ratchet wheel 30. The pointer is now locked against turning farther to the right and so` is prevented from recording any thicker spots in the blank encountered by the detecting rolls, but is free to turn to the left to record successively thinner spots, each increment of thinness measurement being taken up and preserved by detent 50 as the `blank is fed through vthe detecting rolls. As the pointer turns to the left, the flexible connector 33 is wound up onpulley 32. `When the trailing end of the bla-nk passes out from under the gate 4, the latter falls to the table and detent 58 is again engaged into the ratchet wheel. The pointer is now locked against movement in either direction, and records the-thickness in irons of the thinnest spot of the blank as determined by the detecting rolls.j After the operator has read the grade of the blank loro as shown on the indicator I he pulls .it out ments of the detecting rolls, comprising two arms on the free ends of whichthe ends of the movable detecting roll are journaled, said two arms being pivotally supported on the machine to turn about two axes, each common to said two arms, adapted to permit the movable detecting roll to be moved bodily toward and from the other roll and also to be canted out of parallelism with the other roll.

2. A grading machine of the kind having a pair of detecting rolls, one of which is movable toward and from the other, grading means and mechanism for adjusting the grading means in response to relative movements of the detecting rolls, comprising two arms on the free ends ot which the ends of the movable detecting roll are journaled, said two arms being pivotally supported on the machine to turn about two axes, each ccmmon to said two arms, one axis being parallel to the movable roll, and the other axis being perpendicular to the first axis. j

3. A grading machine of the kind having a pairot detecting rolls, one of which is movable toward and from the other, grading means and mechanism for adjusting the grading means in response to relative movements olz the detecting rolls, comprising two arms on the tree ends of which the ends of the movable detecting roll are ournaled, said two arms being pivotally supported on the machine to turn about two axes, each common to said two arms, one axis being parallel to the movable roll, and the other axis being perpendicular to the rst axis and lying sub- Y stantially in a plane passing through the iirst axis and tangent to the surface of the movable roll on the side toward the other roll.

4;. A grading machine of the kind having a pair of detecting rolls, one of which is movable toward and from the other, grading means and mechanism for adjusting Athe grading means in response to relative movements of the detecting rolls, comprising a yoke having two branch arms and a single trunk common to the two branch arms, said movable detecting roll being journaled at vits ends on the free ends of said branch arms,

and said trunk being pivotally supported on the machine 'to turn about two axes perpendicular to each other, adapted to permit the movable detecting roll to be moved bodily toward and from the other roll and also to be canted out of parallelism with the other roll.

5. A grading machine of the kind having a pair of detecting rolls, one of which is movable toward and from the other, grading means and mechanism for adjusting the grading means in response to relative movements of the detecting rolls, comprising a yoke having two branch arms and a single trunk common to the two branch arms, said movable detecting roll being j ournaled at its ends on the free ends of said branch arms, and said trunk being pivotally supported on the machine to turn about two axes perpenthe movable detecting roll to be moved'bodily toward and from the other roll and also to be canted out of parallelism with the other' roll.

6. A grading machine of the kind having a pair of detecting rolls, one of which is movable toward and from the other, grading means and mechanism for adjusting the grading means in response to relative movements of the detecting rolls, comprising a yoke having two branch arms and a single trunk comnron to the two branch arms, said movable detecting roll being j ournaled at its ends on the free ends of said branch arms, and said trunk being pivotally supported on the machine to turn about two axes perpendicular to eachother, one axis being transverse of the yoke and parallel to the axis of the movable roll,'and the other axis being longitudinal of theyoke and lying substantially in plane tangent to the surface of the i TID@ movable detectingrollbeing journaled at its y endsV onthe free ends of said branch arms, and said trunk being pivotally supported on the machine to turn about two axes perpendicular. to each other, adapted to permit the movable detecting roll to be moved bodily toward and .from the otherroll and also to be oanted out of Vparallelism'with the other roll, said yoke being offset downwardly betwen its pivotal support and said movable ro 8. A gradingmachine of the kind having a pair of detecting rolls, one of which is movable toward and from the other, grading means and mechanism kfor adjusting the grading means in response to relative movements of the .detecting rolls, comprising.' aVV work supporting table at the delivery side vrIl!) said branch arms, and said trunk being pivotally supported on the machine at the rear of said table to turn about two axes perpendicular to each other.

9, A grading machine of the kind having a pair of detecting rolls, one of which is movable toward and from the other7 grading means and mechanism for adjusting the grading means in response to relative movements or the detecting rolls, comprising a work supporting table at the delivery side of the detecting rolls, a yoke extending underneath the table and having two branch arms and a single trunk common to the two branch arms, said movable detecting roll being journaled at its ends on the free ends of said branch arms, and said trunk being pivota-lly supported on the machine below the plane of the table top and at the rear of said table to turn about two axes perpendicular to each other.

10. A grading machine of the kind described comprising a frame, a pair of detecting` rolls, one of which is movable toward and from the other, a work supporting table removably mounted on the frame at the delivery side of the detecting rolls, and a support for said movable roll pivoted to the` work table, whereby the work table, support and movable roll may be removed from or applied to the machine as an assembled unit.

11. A grading machine of the kind described comprising a frame, a pair of detecting rolls, one of which is movable toward and from the other, a work supporting table removably mounted on the frame at the delivery side of the detecting rolls, and a support for said movable roll pivoted to the rear end of the work table and extending forwardly underneath the table to the movable detecting roll.

12. A grading machine of the kind described comprising a frame, a pair of detecting rolls, one of which is movable toward and from the other, a work supporting table removably mounted on the frame at the delivery side of the detecting rolls, and a yoke on which the movable detecting roll is journaled comprising two branches and a single trunk common to the two branches, said trunk being pivoted to the rear end of the table to turn about two axes perpendicular to each other, and the branches extending forward underneath the table to the movable detecting roll.

13. A grading machine of the kind described comprising a frame, a pair of detecting rolls, one of which is movable toward and from the other, a work supporting table removably mounted on the frame at the delivery side of the detecting rolls, and a yoke on which the movable detecting roll is journaled comprising two branches and a single trunk common to the two branches, said trunk being pivoted to the rear end of the table JAMES W. JOHNSTON. 

